Jon Spurney was born in Paris, France and moved to the U.S. as a small child. He had a peripatetic  childhood, living in Washington, D.C., Spokane, Washington, Lake Placid, New York, and New Orleans, Louisiana.  Upon graduation from Yale University he moved to New York City and became a session musician and composer. He first saw the Negro Problem in 1998 in Austin, Texas while playing on the same bill as them at the South by Southwest Festival, and started playing gigs with Stew and Heidi in 2004. He lives in Manhattan with his dog, Boner.